Amnesty International has just published a 94-page report entitled “Caught in a web of repression: Iran’s human rights defenders under attack.” It details 45 specific instances of what the organization has described as a “vicious crackdown” coinciding with the supposedly moderate presidency of Hassan Rouhani, who begins his second term in office this week.

Qatar, Iran’s key cheerleader in the Middle East, is facing a final countdown to financial and economic sanctions and travel bans that will jeopardise its future and the future of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The core of the dispute is Qatar’s alleged support for terrorist groups but, even more important, its close relationship with Iran, which is rightly seen as the main source of instability in the region.